Surrendered- A Gospel Ministry

Monday, March 10, 2014

March 10

Exodus 21; Luke 24

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 45: WHAT IS THE DUTY WHICH GOD REQUIRES OF MAN?
Answer: The duty which God requires of man is the obedience that comes from faith.
Scripture: Galatians 5:6; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 2 Thessalonians 2:11; Romans 1:5; 16:26; 15:18.

Comment: See questions 16-18.

Exodus 21

Ready:
The previous chapter was the giving of the Ten Commandments.

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter covers laws or regulations pertaining to slaves and to injury to people or animals. This seems to be about civil order and creating a society that will not be oppressive and harsh like what they probably faced in Egypt.

Theme:
God is establishing order and conduct for the respect of all human life.

Thinking about the message:
This culture is surely foreign to modern America and the laws pertaining to slavery trouble many who passively read the Bible. I don’t presume to have all the answers but I trust that God knew what he was doing here. I think that the recognition of servanthood lends to the teaching of the NT that we are slaves of righteousness and slaves of Christ and slaves of God instead of slaves to sin (John 8:34; Rom 6:17-18, 22).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
God established Israel as a theocracy and the civil laws were issued by God himself. Today we are under government authorities and the NT acknowledges that God placed these over us (Rom 13:1-2). Therefore the implications of this chapter is primarily that we are to love in accord with the social and civil laws of the governing authorities that God has ordained. This does not mean that we should accept injustice or harshness, but rather, we should fight for the right governing of ourselves within the framework of the system we are under. We should surely fight for the rights of unborn children and for religious freedom and other important values that come from God’s Word.

Valuing the message:
I value this message because I will not always like the civil arrangements in place in whatever state or nation I live in but I must know that God had put authorities in place for a reason.

Reflecting on the message:
I should reflect upon my opinions of the government and ensure that I am not being resistant to God and incurring his discipline. I am to be submissive and yet work to do justice and love mercy.

Questions to ask:

Do I submit to authority?
Do I fight for the worthy causes of righteousness and justice?

Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions. Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.

Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.

Luke 24

Ready:
The previous chapter included the trial, condemnation, death and burial of Jesus. The purposes of God were being served at the hands of wickedness and ignorance both.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter I see Jesus appearing to his disciples after his resurrection and he has compassion for them and he wants to give them understanding and he wants to empower them and he wants to give them a mission. There is a plain thread of “enlightenment” that stretches through this chapter and it comes now on the heels of the completed work of Christ. Despite all they have seen and heard, a supernatural enlightening is still required for them to understand and be gripped by the truth (1 Cor 2:14). In the end, Jesus tells them that the message of his suffering and death and resurrection should be told to the world and for the one who comes to faith, this means repentance and the forgiveness of sins.

Key Verses:
Luke 24:1-3, 4-5, 6-8, 12, 15-16, 14-15, 26-27, 30-31, 36, 44-45, 46-48, 52-53

Theme:
Jesus reveals himself and removes the blindness and he calls us to go and take this message of hope to the ends of the earth as he frees minds and hearts among all the nations.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-12. Here the women come to care for the body of Jesus and discover that he is missing and they are greeted by angels who enlighten them to the truth. The point is made here that they are mistakenly looking for the living among the dead. I recall Jesus telling a man to let the dead bury the dead and so there is such as thing as dead men walking and the fact is that we cannot find Jesus among the dead men (walking or buried). God is indeed the God of the living and he gives new life to his children and they rely upon him. The angel reminds them of the words Jesus spoke about his resurrection and they suddenly remembered and perceived the truth. Peter comes and sees the facts but is yet perplexed and marveling at the occurrence. It seems that the magnitude of the risen Son and the amazing events that have been witnessed do not become clear without the Spirit of God opening the eyes (2 Cor 4:4-6).
    v13-35. This has been referred to as the best sermon ever. On the day of his resurrection Jesus appears to these two disciples on the road and during a 7 mile walk (probably 2-3 hours) he teaches them from the 5 books of Moses and all the prophets (pretty much the whole Bible at the time) all that the scriptures said about Jesus regarding the plan of God to display his glory in the death and resurrection of his Son, to the salvation of his people (Eph 1:4-10). Boy, could these guys write a great children’s Bible! These two expressed what may have been typical for the whole lot of the disciples and this was that they had hoped Jesus would have been the one to redeem Israel, the Messiah (Is 41:14; Luke 1:68-69, 2:25-26). There was still a lack of understanding among the disciples that required a spiritual enlightenment since they did not perceive his death to be a fulfilling of this Messianic role. Jesus then opens their eyes as they break bread together once they reach Emmaus and in that moment he disappears. Immediately they hit the road again and bolt back to Jerusalem to tell the story to the rest of the disciples!
    v36-49. Here Jesus appears to the group of disciples in Jerusalem and he is patient with them in helping them come to realize that it is him, in the flesh. Jesus makes it known here that he retains a human body even in his glorified form and we know that we have a big brother in heaven who is evermore fully man and fully God (Col 1:9; John 1:14; Rom 8:29; Heb 4:14-15). He also opens their minds (Eph 1:17-18) to understand the scriptures of the whole OT so that they perceive the need for, the plan of, and the fulfillment of the work of Christ on the cross and in his resurrection…unto repentance and the forgiveness of sins. This very enlightenment is the gospel message and the enlightenment that he charges them to carry forward to the nations (2 Cor 4:4-6).
    v50-53. Not all of the gospel accounts include the ascension but this is important because Jesus said that until he went back to the Father, the Holy Spirit would not come (John 16:5-7). And Romans 8:34 tells us that Jesus is now at the right hand of the Father interceding for us! We have a mediator who stands before the Father and the enemy is hopeless in his efforts to condemn us (Zech 3:1-5; Rom 8:1, 2 Cor 5:21). Jerusalem would become the base of operations and the seat of Christianity. The church there would be led by James, the brother of Jesus, until he was ordered to be killed by the High Priest in AD 60.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    The gospel is a spiritual message and cannot be received apart from the Holy Spirit’s calling upon the inner man. The implication is that the message we carry is one that requires and “activation” by the Spirit and so we can only be faithful to spread the message and pray that God in his mercy will open eyes and grant enlightenment to many. The significance to my life is that I can trust that I am successful every time I share the gospel with someone because the conversion is up to God (1 Cor 3:6-7). He may use my compassion to influence them (Acts 16:27-31) so I should never see the gospel as a cold message that is just facts being conveyed…this would not be honoring to God. Though I cannot enlighten anyone I can surely plead with them to be reconciled to God (2 Cor 5:20).

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it gives perspective on the work of God upon the hearts and minds of all of us. It is valuable because it can impact my understanding of evangelism and my role.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider whether I am looking for merely facts and figures in the Word of God or am I looking to experience and enlightenment of my soul to his truth.

Questions to ask:

Do I merely want to understand the words on the page or do I want Jesus to transform my thinking?
Do I merely want to find some truth to apply or do I want the Spirit of God to transform me?
Do I treat the Bible like it is an instruction manual and not the power of God unto salvation?

Sunday, March 9, 2014

March 9

Exodus 20; Luke 23

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 44: WHAT SHALL BE DONE TO THE WICKED AT THE DAY OF JUDGMENT?
Answer: At the Day of Judgment, the bodies of the wicked, being raised out of their graves shall be sentenced, together with their souls, to unspeakable torments with the devil and his angels forever.
Scripture: Daniel 12:2; John 5:28, 29; 2 Thessalonians 1:9; Mat- thew 25:41; Revelation 20:14-15.

Exodus 20

Ready:
In the previous chapter Moses was directed to prepare the people to receive the law. They were to consecrate themselves for three days and they were asked to commit to what God was about to reveal because it would be necessary in order for them to receive the covenant blessings promised to Abraham, though it would come not by performing the law but by trusting God in the law (Rom 4:13-14).

Seeing what’s there:
I see the Lord deliver the prologue and the decalogue of the law in this chapter. He further describes some statutes concerning worship in the close of the chapter. The decalogue (Ten Commandments) is then given based upon this grounding that the law is for their good and comes from his mercy and is in keeping with his covenant promise to be their God. These commandments are not given as an exhaustive list but as a basic understanding of what it looks like to be faithful to God in the covenant identity of the people of God.

Key Verses:
Exodus 20:1-2, 3, 4, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 24-26

Theme:
God presents to Israel the most basic revelation of what it means “to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness (table one- vertical) and justice (table two- horizontal), so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised to him” (Gen 18:19; Ex 19:5-6).

Thinking about the message:
I see the following structure in this account:

Promise of covenant mercy, divine enablement, and intention to bless

Precedes the law and is meant to protect the people from the law (mercy seat)

Holy standards of God induce fear and sense of inadequacy

How to relate to God
How to relate to others

Worship in the form of acknowledging and thanking God (honoring him) is ordered with specific guidelines

This worship would lack if it were not done in context of a people who understand they are wholly incapable of meeting the divine standard of God apart from mercy. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.

    v1-2. Here God addresses the people of Israel directly from the smoke and lightning and thunder of the mountain (Ex 20:18-19, 22, 32:8). The prologue is the beginning of his words spoken directly to the people of Israel and establishes his identity and his intention to do them good with this revelation. This opening statement also establishes the foundational idea that they will consider the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be their God and this brings along with it the concept of worship and devotion, which will not be understood in proper context until they consider the character of God and his standards. I see reference to covenant mercy in the words “I am the Lord your God,…” because this is related to his promise to Abraham in Gen 17:7-8, which has a context of God announcing that he has already accomplished what has not yet happened. I see reference to divine enablement in the words “…who brought you out of the land of Egypt,…” because we know that it was him who accomplished this impossible feat apart from their own faith or effort (Ex 19:4). I see reference to God’s intention to bless them and do them good by this law in the words “…out of the house of slavery”. The Lord heard their cry and God has devoted himself to the good of his people (Ex 3:7-8; Jer 32:40-41).   Exodus 25:21-22 (including the whole section leading into it) establishes that this testimony of the law was never meant to stand alone but was always to be related to with an intermediary between the people and this law…the mercy seat…the propitiation…the atoning sacrifice…Jesus. The law by itself can do nothing but condemn (Rom 4:15; Gal 3:21-22) and it must be understood in the context of this prologue or it brings only death (1 Cor 15:56-57).
    v3-11. Table one. The first four commandments are vertical in nature and have to do with our heart and our actions as they relate to our relationship to God. He intends that we do not place anything else on par with his value in our life and that we do not raise up anything else as a god that we would serve and worship. He alone is to hold that place of honor and value in our hearts. He intends that we would not attempt to create a likeness of him to worship because any likeness of him is not him. He is immaterial and eternal and nothing within his creation can represent him…the closest thing is man. The only man that adequately reflects the glory of God, because he is God in the flesh, is his eternal Son. This necessarily also includes making a likeness of a different god. God describes that he is a jealous God who curses those who hate him and do not obey him in faith (Deut 28:15; Rom 2:6, 8-9), but he blesses those who love him and obey him in faith (Deut 28:1-2; Rom 2:6, 7, 10). God is jealous that his glory be upheld to the great joy of mankind (Is 48:11; Psalm 37:4; 16:11). The greatest thing God offers us is himself and in him we will have joy eternal. Jealousy is wanting to receive what is owed but is wrongly being given to another. God is righteously jealous of our love that when our highest devotion is given to someone or something other than him, we do violence to his glory and our joy. He intends that we hallow his name and never use it flippantly or without holy purpose. In the most practical sense today, this likely means not letting “God”, “Jesus”, “Lord”, or any other name/title that we use for God to be used in profanity or useless talk. Certainly it means not using “Yahweh” or “Jesus” (personal names of God) in anything but a reverent and purposeful context. Finally, he intends that we keep the Sabbath Holy. Romans 14:5-6 helps us to come to the common Christian understanding that observing the Sabbath is not to be seen as an explicit commandment to not do any form of work, as it was in the OT, but the principle of rest and holy setting apart of time to worship is clearly seen in the NT and should be practiced today. There is a whole variety of ways this is lived out among the various denominations and traditions today. I believe that how it is kept holy comes to personal conviction as illustrated in Rom 14, but no doubt the question should be “how can I honor God with my rest and community worship of him this week?”
    v12-17. Table two. The sixth to tenth commandments are horizontal in nature and have to do with our heart and our actions as they relate to our relationships with others. God intends that we will honor our parents…even when they are old and need our care. He intends that we will not end any human life intentionally or through carelessness or negligence. This necessarily excludes killing in the fulfillment of God’s will such as capital punishment (Gen 9:5; Ex 21:23). It should be noted that the Ex 21 reference was “life for life” is related to the harming of an unborn child. He intends that we are not to commit adultery but are to be faithful in marriage since our marriage is a representation of the gospel and faithlessness here, therefore, is violence toward God (Eph 5:32; Mal 2:16). He intends that we do not steal from one another but that we are generous and compassionate (Luke 3:11). He intends that we do not lie for personal gain by misrepresenting others actions. This command can probably be expanded appropriately to include no lying at all (Col 3:9). He intends that we are content and that we do not covet the belongings or blessings of others, indeed this is even considered idolatry (Col 3:5). God is our provider and we are to relate to one another not in competition but in brotherhood (Rom 12:10).
    v18-21. Fear and trembling. The response of the people was fear and this was not unintentional. They decide that they do not so much want to hear God’s voice anymore. Moses does a great job of unweaving (maybe) the difficult concept of fearing the Lord by telling them basically, “Don’t fear…God intends you to fear him for your own good. He is merely testing you to ensure you understand his holiness.” Understanding our sinfulness before a holy God is a necessary part of the gospel. It has been said “the good news will never be seen as good until the bad news is first understood.” Thus, the bad news is good for us (Luke 7:47; Gal 3:22)!
    v22-26. How to worship. Now with an understanding of the separation between us and God we are rightly motivated and ripe for education in proper worship. Here God outlines some basic concepts that will later be expanded. He intends that we acknowledge him and remember him and thank him and in all of this we honor him (Rom 1:21, 28; Rev 4:9ff; Heb 13:15).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    The law seems to have two main parts- one is about how we relate to God, known as table one (Mark 12:29-30), and the second is about how we relate to one another, known as table two (Mark 12:31). I take the main meaning in the chapter to be that God is holy and has an expectation of us as his creatures. The expectation is that we relate to him according to his holiness and that we relate to one another according to our value to God and all of this is to the praise of his glory. Another meaning I find is that this is impossible without relying on God’s merciful and divine provision for meeting his expectation… in Christ. The law cannot be rightly understood apart from the mercy of God in his promised offspring (Rom 10:2-4). The implication is that there is no room for a legalistic merit system but only a dependence upon Jesus. The significance for my life is that I must rely on Jesus to be the source of my keeping of the statutes of God in the giving go honor and thanks unto him and in the loving of others as myself. I must find these things in the pursuit of Jesus as it is my union with him and my abiding in him that will bring transformation in my heart and mind. I cannot rely on an external system of weights and measures but I must fall down in acceptance of mercy.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it is easy to think that you either have no expectations of me or that if you do that I can manage them myself. This message is a reminder that you have crazy high expectations but that you grant the very thing you require in Jesus.

Reflecting on the message:
Let me have a proper fear of your holiness Lord and let me seek you hotly that I might be found not with a righteousness of my own that is weak and pale and dirty but that I would be found with the very righteousness of Christ. I must consider how much I am loving God and loving others from a place of proving myself versus relying upon Jesus to accomplish this in me.

Questions to ask:

Do I see a holy fear of God motivating me to lean on Jesus?
Do I rely on my own strength to walk in the ways of the Lord or do I meet with Jesus regularly in the quiet of the day and seek his filling and provision?
Do I abide in Christ and seek to kill sin by the Holy Spirit or do I tolerate incompatible sin in my life? Do I ignore the smoke and lighting and thunder? Do I hear it?

Luke 23

Later maybe...

Soli Deo Gloria!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

March 8

Exodus 19; Luke 22

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 43: WHAT SHALL BE DONE TO THE WICKED AT DEATH?
Answer: The souls of the wicked shall at death, be cast into the torments of hell, and their bodies lie in their graves till the resurrection and judgment of the great day.
Scripture: Luke 16:22-4; Daniel 12:2; John 5:29; Revelation 20:11- 15.

Exodus 19

Ready:
In the previous chapter Moses received some good advice from his father-in-law and he delegated responsibility for judging and he set heads over the people to deal with most matters.

Seeing what’s there:
So about 7 weeks after they left Egypt the nation of Israel is at Mount Sinai encountering God. There is a period of preparation where Moses instructs them to consecrate themselves or “set apart as holy” and this involves cleaning of their clothes and remaining sexually abstinent for a time. The Lord gives Israel a prologue to the coming revelation of the law by referring explicitly to his deliverance from Egypt, which he accomplished for the people by his mighty hand and he tells them that they will need to obey his voice and keep his covenant if they want to be his treasured possession. This is actually a huge transition point in redemptive history because until this point there was no law or requirements upon the Jews except for circumcision and the recent addition of celebrating the passover. What is about to happen in the next chapter is going to change everything and will become the very thing that they get sideways on…the law. They are not to come up the mountain once Moses goes up lest they be killed and the mountain becomes surrounded with dense smoke and seems to be on fire and is trembling. God’s presence is very obvious in this scenario. Moses and God dialogue about the issue of Israel’s compliance with his instructions before the Lord gets into delivering to Moses the law.

Key Verses:
Exodus 19:4, 5-6, 8, 10-11, 16, 18, 20

Theme:
A covenant is coming that will serve to guard and to guide the people of God to the coming offspring, but they must ultimately rely upon the mercy of God and not upon their ability to keep this law, which in no way replaces the promise to Abraham…but leads to the fulfillment of the promise.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-6. Here the Lord tells Moses that he needs to get the people to agree that they will listen to his voice and that they will keep his covenant and that they will in so-doing be the treasured possession and the kingdom and the holy nation that he had promised to Abraham (Gen 12:2, 17:5-8). This is actually a bit of an addition or clarification to what had been promised thus far in the addition of “holy” and “priests” and it seems now suggested that Israel will not only be a great nation but that they will be set apart in more than circumcision and that they will be to the world a priesthood or a connection to God. Indeed they will be since salvation is from the Jews (John 4:22). God begins this important episode of delivering the law with this reminder that he is merciful and that he accomplishes their deliverance and that he bore them up when they had lacking faith and he accomplished what they didn’t see as possible. He then says “now therefore…” and goes into the bit about them obeying and keeping the covenant, which he would explain to Moses on the mountain. The law (covenant) that he is about to deliver would not be a replacement of the covenant with Abraham, but it would be a guardian until Christ comes (Gal 3:17-18, 24-25). Note that in verses 5-6 he uses more than twice as many words describing the outcome as he does their obedience…the focus is on what God is doing, not what they will do. But the people, other than a remnant, would become ensnared and would rely on this law by works instead of by faith (Rom 9:21-32) that he would be merciful and provide a deliverance from under the law (Rom 6:14, 7:4, 6; Gal 3:22) as he did from under Egypt (the reason for the prologue is that they would realize this reliance upon him and not upon their ability to keep the law). The law will end up exposing their sin and teaching them about the holiness of God (Rom 3:19-20).
    v7-15. Here Moses goes back and forth between God and the people and communicates instructions for their preparation and he gains their commitment to do what God is going to ask of them. They will indeed consecrate themselves and prepare for the third day when the Lord appears upon the mountain. Per the Lord’s instructions, Moses tells the people that when he goes up the mountain they are not to follow but are to keep a certain distance at the penalty of death.
    v16-25. Here the Lord descends upon the mountain and he calls Moses up to meet him. Moses brings the people out of the camp and to the foot of the mountain (keeping back the required distance) to witness what happens there. After Moses ascends the Lord tells him to go back and warn them again about keeping back so that many of them do not die. This seems to be a clarification that they ill perish at God’s hand if not at their own for not keeping the set limits. Moses seems confident that the previous instructions would be followed and that there is no need to repeat it, but in the end he concedes as the Lord tells him to do it and also to bring Aaron up with him. A reference here to priest is interesting because there has been no establishment of a priesthood yet, but it may be that the first-born are presumed to be priests among the tribes as was common in all nations.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I hear a message here that God is looking to warn Israel that what he is about to give is massive and holy and can only be accomplished by relying on him to bear them up like he did in the Exodus from Egypt. Nothing in this account so far says to me “this is doable…you guys can just follow these steps and we are good”. No, I see smoke and fire and lightning and thunder and warnings of death and holiness that will annihilate them. The Christian will walk uprightly before God only as he relies on Jesus and seeks him and not by will-power and self-determination. The implication for today is that we cannot meet the requirements of the law apart from the one who fulfills the law in us (Rom 8:3-4) and to think otherwise is to remain under the wrath of God (John 3:36). Yet, God expects us to uphold the law in Christ (Rom 3:31). The significance for my life is that I am to walk humbly before God (Micah 6:8) and to rely on Christ as my righteousness (Phil 3:9), not my own pitiful efforts. I am to fall on his mercy (1 John 1:9) and I am to recognize my need for him daily (Luke 9:23) and I am to rely on the one who gave himself for me (Titus 2:4). There is no room for self-righteousness when the law is not the source of righteousness (Rom 3:21-22, 4:13; Gal 2:21, 3:11, 21-22).

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable be cause it can help me from becoming self-righteous and thinking that my following of God’s law and the expectations of the Christian culture are the things that make me right with God. Where I find victory and success in progressing in holiness it can only be due to God bearing me up (Ex 19:4).

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider my heart and whether I am understanding the law and righteousness properly.

Questions to ask:

Do I behave and think as if true righteousness were based on my keeping of the law?
How does this differ with the law being upheld and fulfilled in me by Christ?
By killing sin in my life, do I think that I am establishing a righteousness before God or am I already justified (deemed righteous by God)?

Luke 22

Maybe later...

Soli Deo Gloria!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

March 6

Exodus 17; Luke 20

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 42: WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST AT THE RESURRECTION?
Answer: At the resurrection, believers are raised up in glory; they shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the Day of Judgment, and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoyment of God to all eternity.
Scripture: Philippians 3:20, 21; 1 Corinthians 15:42, 43; Matthew 10:32; 1 John 3:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Exodus 17

Ready:
The previous chapter was a teaching on the miraculous provision of God in bread from heaven and how he tested the Israelites in their devotion to follow his interactions and live by the obedience of faith.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter the Israelites grumble once more and it is about water. They seem to be getting very aggressive against Moses and he again goes to God asking what he shall do with them. The Lord provides by instructing Moses to strike a rock with his staff once and the water will then miraculously flow from the rock. Next Joshua faces off with Amalek and Moses watched over the battle in prayer with Aaron and hur atop a hill. They help hold up Moses’ hands in prayer during the battle and Joshua is victorious.

Key Verses:
Exodus 17:2, 4-5, 9-10, 11-12, 13, 15

Theme:
The Lord is our sustenance and our defense.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-2. It sounds like Moses was receiving specific instructions on how to move through the wilderness and there was no doubt that Moses was the leader chosen and anointed by God to lead this people. Yet, they grumble again and quarrel and take up an argument with Moses. He equates their quarreling as a testing of the Lord and this event at Massah is cited in Deuteronomy (Deut 6:16) and in Psalms (Psalm 95:8) as a testament to the hard and wayward hearts of the people of Israel.
    v3-7. God, in his mercy, provides water by another miracle and he uses a specific means. It is Moses striking the rock once with his staff. To the glory of God Moses followed the instructions and honored the Lord…and the people drank…despite their testing of God.
    v8-16. Here Joseph is directed by Moses to take up battle with the Amalek and his army. The victory seems to be secured by the unceasing prayer of Moses over the battlefield in the memorable story of Aaron and Hut holding his arms raised to the Lord in prayer. The message of reliance upon God and the victory belonging to him (Prov 21:31) is vivid here. Moses growing weak and requiring help seems to point out the ultimate inadequacy of a human intercessor or priest. Jesus comes as the God-man who does not grow weary and who lives to interceded for us (Heb 7:25)!

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I take the meaning here to be that God calls the people to yet trust him for provision and protection and to understand that even what would seem like a simple task of relying on him is a fickle thing in our flesh that is weak. The implication is that the battles and the efforts and the struggles I entertain have a spiritual aspect that should not be ignored. The significance for my life is that my needs and my protection are in the Lord’s hands.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it is easy to think that the situation hinges on me and that my performance on the battle field will make all the difference. This replaces self reliance with reliance upon the Lord. Knowing that Jesus is at the right hand of God interceding on my behalf (Rom 8:34) can be quite the boost if I am no the battlefield wondering how this is going to work out.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider my attitude in conflicts and trials and consider whether I see myself fighting alone or if I am aware of my high priest in heaven who intercedes for me.

Questions to ask:

Do I consider God’s call for me to trust him and not myself in the midst of hardship?
Do I fight battles in a way that would leave me or God with the glory in the end?
Do I chase provision for my family in a way that leaves God with the glory or me?

Luke 20

Ready:
The previous chapter was about salvation coming to Zacchaeus in the person of Jesus and the correction of wrong views of the kingdom of God.

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter addresses the authority of Jesus. He makes it clear to the members of the Jewish Council that they are not actually interested in the truth, but that they dishonor God and refuse his messengers. Then Jesus is bombarded by various members of the Council with efforts to trap him and in the end Jesus uses these efforts to reveal the truth that our devotion is due unto God, our very life belongs to God, and Christ bears the vey authority of this God. Jesus proceeds to warn the listeners against outward religion that ignores the truth and does not submit to Christ’s authority.

Key Verses:
Luke 20:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7, 16, 17-18, 22-23, 24-25, 27, 33, 35, 37-38, 41, 44

Theme:
As the Son of God, Jesus bears the authority of God Almighty and we are to submit to his message and respond by giving our devotion and allegiance and lives unto God, in Christ.

Thinking about the message:
   v1-8. It seems here that the members of the Jewish Council converged upon Jesus in response to his cleansing of the temple and now inquire of him regarding his authority that he now and in the past has exercised in the temple. Jesus did not hold a place of authority in their eyes (like they did). Jesus was acting as if he owned the place! Well, here Jesus knows that they have no interest in the truth and he chooses to expose this by qualifying that he will answer once they acknowledge a similar truth. They refuse to confess the truth or even discern it, possibly, because they have nothing to gain in the exercise. Jesus shows here that these religious leaders were not interested in truth, but in what was convenient and useful to them. Therefore he does not cast pearls before swine (Matt 7:6).
   v9-18. Jesus goes further now to make his point by telling a parable. There is not much hidden from view in this parable and the council members get his point quite readily. They perceive that he is condemning them for not accepting the revelation of God and for now rejecting Jesus to the point of wanting to kill him. They reject the parable’s conclusion that the promises and the kingdom would be given to someone else due to their failure to receive the truth. Jesus quite seriously says to them that indeed they have rejected the very cornerstone of the temple that they venerate and ask him what authority he has over…his authority is that he holds the entire thing up! His body is the temple…his body is the atoning sacrifice…he is the eternal high priest…and he is the judge.
   v19-26. Here Jesus makes clear that we owe earthly allegiance and submission to authority that God has placed over us (Rom 13:1-2). But more so we owe God all that we are (Is 43:7; Deut 4:29, 10:12-13). Jesus masterfully uses their wicked effort to trap him as opportunity to teach the truth and completely stump them. They had most likely hoped that he would either tell people not to pay taxes (and so he could be charged by the Romans for such a unlawful action) or to upset the oppressed people by telling them that they would remain under oppression and needed to keep paying their unfair taxes. But Jesus says to pay what is due to him…not what is attempted to be collected by cheating tax collectors. Nor does he leave the issue at the earthly level but he goes to the kingdom with is and makes the bigger issue our allegiance to God. The Pharisees were a bit overdue on that second “tax”!
   v27-40. The Sadducees invent a scenario to trap Jesus here but they fail to understand that women do not belong to their husband eternally…all of us belong to God (1 Cor 8:6, 11:11-12; Rom 11:36). And those who belong specifically to Christ will rise again as Christ rose (Rom 14:7-9; 6:4-5, 8:9-11). Jesus explains how there is not marriage in heaven and though he does not explicitly state this here, we know that scripture tells us that our marriage is to Jesus for all eternity (Rev 19:7-8). Quickly dispelling their little trick, Jesus gets to the heart of the matter and explains that God is not the God of the dead and that our lives belong to him who has the power to raise us up. Jesus here reveals that indeed the patriarchs of old are yet alive (John 11:25).
   v41-44. To be finished later…

Soli Deo Gloria!

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

March 5

Exodus 16; Luke 19

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 41: WHAT BENEFITS DO BELIEVERS RECEIVE FROM CHRIST AT DEATH?
Answer: At death the souls of believers are made perfect in holiness, and immediately pass into glory. Their bodies rest in their graves till the resurrection.
Scripture: Hebrews 12:23; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:8; Luke 23:43; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Isaiah 57:2; Job 19:26.

Exodus 16

Ready:
The previous chapter depicted Israel celebrating the victory of God over Egypt and they worshiped openly with praise of God. Their confidence and praise quickly changed to grumbling due to some hardship and God teaches them to trust him always and to act upon the words he speaks to them with obedience.

Seeing what’s there:
I see Israel grumble again early in this chapter because they seem to not have enough food and they are again on Moses with accusation that it is his fault and they were happier in Egypt with plenty of meat and bread to eat. God decides to give them meat and bread and the bread will continue to come each day (except on one day he refers to as the Sabbath). So again as before God responds to grumbling with a test that is also a provision. He wants to see them follow his instructions for the manna and honoring the Sabbath.

Key Verses:
Exodus 16:2-3, 4-5, 9-10, 12, 13-14, 15, 19-20, 23-24, 25-26, 27-28, 29-30, 35

Theme:
God provides for Israel not by natural means but a supernatural provision that they cannot understand or explain except to rely wholly upon him and to follow his instructions.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-3. It sounds like they traveled for about 45 days and the people of Israel grumbled again against Moses wishing their had been left in Egypt where they had plenty of provision. This grumbling, like the last is questioning the provision and goodness of God and his plan to care for this people. This is the pattern that will plague the people for generations to come. I also note that Moses records that it was the whole congregation of the people, not just a vocal minority.
    v4-8. Here God speaks to Moses and Aaron and explains what he will do in response to their grumbling and it involves provision but there is also a test. He gave a test with the water being turned sweet as well so there seems to be a pattern developing in God’s dealing with the people in their grumbling. This test is explained to be two-fold: Will they obey by gathering only enough for their need and avoid left-overs and will they refrain from working on the Sabbath (which is only just now something that existed and this is not made perfectly clear until later in this chapter). Until now they have known hard labor no doubt 7 days a week but God here is going to provide miraculous provision and also give them a command to rest from their work one day a week. Moses tells them that this miracle will be like a sign and it will serve to make them know (again) that is is the Lord (Yahweh) who brought them out of Egypt in the keeping of his covenant to bless them and multiply them and to deliver them to a fruitful land.
    v9-12. Here there is a great appearance of the glory of God in a cloud before the whole congregation and Moses announces that they will eat meat that night and in the morning there will be a miraculous provision of bread. Here it is quite evident that there is a reliance upon God in this bread and it is not so much something special about the bread as it is special that God will provide it for them. Satan will tempt Jesus in the desert asking him to make bread like was done here, but this bread comes as God’s provision and now a self-made provision as Satan tempted Jesus to feed himself instead on relying upon the Father’s timing and direction.
    v13-21. Here it happens just as they were told and they don’t recognize the bread and it is therefore named Manna (what is it?). Unfortunately they did not listen to Moses and they gathered too much and the left-overs rotted and stunk in the morning. The bread that remained in the field after their gathering would melt away each day. So they fail test number 1.
    v22-26. Here they fail test number 2 by going out to gather bread on the Sabbath only to find that there is none. Yesterday’s bread does not go bad and God provides for them to remain home and he commands them to remain home and to rest as a holy Sabbath to the Lord. So this resting is something holy and it is “to the Lord”, not just an optional pattern or getting some rest if they need it. There is a tie to God’s holiness and a tie to God’s resting after he created the world and everything in it. There is a tie to our rest in heaven and it has to do with enjoying the bountiful provision of God and celebrating him by simply worshiping and receiving from him. This is for us today as well and ought to be a practice, not by statute perhaps in the NT era but surely by principle in the Bible and by example from the early church recognizing the Lord’s Day as Sunday. In Hebrews 4:1-13, written to Jews, salvation itself is referred to as a Sabbath rest.   Col 2:16-17 seems to make evident that Christ is the substance and the Sabbath is lumped in with ceremonial things that he fulfilled so there is a basis for the Sabbath not being applicable as law for the NT believer.
    v27-30. Here is a rebuke regarding honoring the Sabbath that they seem to take and them honor, especially since they learn that there is no Manna to gather anyhow. Note that God does not tempt them with Manna at a time when they are told never to gather it anyhow (James 1:13).
    v31-36. Israel is told to remember throughout their generations this provision by God and here Moses summarizes that for the next 40 years in the desert they will be sustained by this Manna from Heaven.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
I take the message here that God provides for his people and he makes it clear to them that it is he who does it and it is another reminder to be passed across generations about what the Lord has done. He also teaches that provision is not to be in excess of need. The implication is that God provides and his provision should be recognized and celebrated. The significance for my life is that I should reflect upon how God provides for me and I should consider if I am honoring him in how I receive it and how I take only what is needed.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because a huge part of my life is spent gathering. I go to work and I gather up the resources to take care of my family and this message helps me to recognize that God is the provider and that I have a responsibility to not abuse his provision by gathering more than I need. This is easy to do sometimes and can result in materialism and a worldly focus that does not honor God.

Reflecting on the message:
I should reflect on how much I am gathering and how hard I work simply to add more luxury or flare to our life instead of simply meeting our needs and then pouring myself into my family and the kingdom purposes of God.

Questions to ask:

Am I gathering more than I need?
Does my extra income and stuff and things begin to stink of excess and of greed and of gluttony?
Do I trust that God is really my provider or do I consider that I handle that apart from him?
How can I better honor God with my gathering and how can I avoid the stink of leftovers?

Luke 19

Ready:
In the previous chapter I saw that it is the one who recognizes their need and cries out for mercy who receives it and who follows Jesus to the glory of God. This is to say that trying to behave like Jesus is not the answer…falling to my face before him is.

Seeing what’s there:
Luke here documents Jesus’ interactions with Zacchaeus and the telling of the parable of the Minas. He gives the account of the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the first couple of days events without much description to mark the days. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem’s rejection of him and he cleanses the temple in the close of Luke’s chapter.

Key Verses:
Luke 19:3-4, 5-6, 9-10, 11, 16-17, 23-24, 26, 37-38, 39-40, 41-42, 45-46, 47

Theme:
The main theme I see is Jesus correcting a misinterpretation of the coming of the kingdom and a lament for the failure of Israel, though this is the means of salvation to the world.

Thinking about the message:
   v1-10. Here Jesus calls out Zaccheaus who has worked hard to get a glimpse of Jesus. It appears that this man has already repented and is receiving of the message of the coming kingdom and Jesus tells him that salvation has come to his home referencing his identity as a son of Abraham. Knowing the teaching elsewhere in the NT it is clear that this is no reference to his Judaism but a reference to his faith (Gal 3:26, 29; Rom 9:7-8). It seems that Jesus is counting his faith as righteousness as was Abraham’s (Rom 4:3, 5, 12).
   v11-27. There is an element of eschatology (movement toward a future event) in this parable that is called out right at the beginning. Luke tells us that Jesus tells this parable to deal with a misunderstanding of the timing of events to come. He is looking to correct their understanding of the coming kingdom. They have a wrong view of the nature (political and earthly) as well as the timing (immediate). There is an already- not yet reality to the kingdom (Mark 1:15) that can create this misunderstanding if their is not a realization that the kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Here now Jesus makes it clear that he is going off to bring back the consummation of the kingdom when he returns no longer to deal with sin (dying in our place) but to reward those eagerly waiting for him (Heb 9:28) and to judge mankind (Matt 25:31-32; 2 Tim 4:1; 2 Pet 3:8-13). The question is what do we do with the truth and the knowledge of God that he has given us? Do we respond in obedience of faith to the glory of God or do we sit on the revelation of God and do nothing with it? Maybe he speaks of gifting and how I use the gifts I am given but the “wicked servant” comment and the taking away of what he has and the comparison with the similar ending to the parable of the talents in Matthew 25 makes me think that this is a salvation issue and would therefore necessarily have to do with what we do with the truth of God’s revelation of himself (Rom 1:18-21; John 3:36).
   v28-40. Like the other gospels the triumphal entry marks the last week of Jesus’ ministry on earth (save the 40 days following his resurrection). Jesus refuses to correct those who ascribe deity to him when the Pharisees point this out and he announces that the stones themselves would cry out his praise if the people don’t. This is blasphemous indeed if Jesus were not God in the flesh.
   v41-44. Here Luke records Jesus’ weeping over Israel because they do not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. I compare with Pharaoh in Exodus because Paul makes clear that God is the one who hardened Israel’s hearts so that they would not see or understand (Rom 11:7-10). But of course this was for the purpose of saving those outside of the family and circling back to save the remaining elect of Israel by this amazing plan of God (Rom 11:11-24, 25-32, 33-36).
   v45-48. Here Jesus makes it known that the temple is his Father’s house and he will not allow it to be misused and he will exclude from the kingdom those who are self-seeking and do not seek the glory of God (Rom 2:8).

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
The kingdom of God is not of this world. Right now, the kingdom is among us and it is not primarily about politics and social justice (though we are to walk justly and love mercy). The kingdom of God in this age is primarily about man getting right with God by his mercy through the blood of Jesus. When Jesus returns it will be time for vengeance and justice and order…this time will come. The implication for today is that the primary way the kingdom is advanced is on a spiritual level of surrender to Jesus and of becoming a child of the king. There shall be no taking of hills except for hearts…we are to be fishers of men. The significance for my life is that I should not have such a focus on the seen as I should on the unseen and I should place great emphasis on using my time here to spread the knowledge and fear of the Lord (Minas). I should be listening to what God has said and acting upon it with faith to advance his kingdom up until the day he returns.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because there are many “seen” distractions and setting my mind on the judgement to come and the Minas I have been given is a good reminder to check myself on how I am spending my resources of all kinds.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider if I am burying Minas in the ground or investing them wisely for kingdom purposes.

Questions to ask:

Am I spending most of my time and resources for earthly gain?
Am I looking ahead to the return of the nobleman or living like he abandoned me?
If I see Jesus coming in the sky today will my reaction be like Zacchaeus who waited eagerly and joyfully received him?

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

March 4

Exodus 15; Luke 18

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 40: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS WHICH IN THIS LIFE DO ACCOMPANY OR FLOW FROM JUSTIFICATION, ADOPTION, AND SANCTIFICATION?
Answer: The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love, peace of conscience, fellowship with Christ, joy in the Holy Spirit, increase of grace, the privilege of prayer, and perseverance therein to the end.
Scripture: Romans 5:1-5; 14:17; Proverbs 4:18: 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 5:13; 1 Corinthians 1:9; John 15:7.

Exodus 15

Ready:
The previous chapter was about God delivering through tough circumstances even when their faith was failing. He did this to the praise of his name and to lift them up and set their faith upon his name.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter I see the response of Moses and the people of Israel as they magnify the Lord and praise him for his victory. Unfortunately this highlight fades with a few tough days and they are again prodding Moses with grumbling and they seem to be questioning the provision of God. God mercifully provides drinkable water for them and explains to them that he has set a statute for them that they are to listen to him and do right before him and then they will be kept from the diseases that overtook the Egyptians (perhaps the boils or maybe the whole lot of plagues). It seems here that this refers to Moses listening to the Lord and following the unusual instructions of putting the log in the water. It seems an action of faith is the response God is looking for when he speaks and I take it he is training his people like a young child learning his way from a loving father.

Key Verses:
Exodus 15:2, 6-7, 11, 18, 20-21, 24, 25-26

Theme:
It may only take a little adversity to turn praise into grumbling, but the Lord has called us to hear him and believe him and to respond in faith to what he tells us.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-21. A beautiful song about God and his might and his strength and his glorious power. “Who is like the Lord” they sing, “awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?” They sing about God guiding them by steadfast love.
    v22-27. But then the song changes to a grumble when they seem to forget the lyrics and now they fear and doubt and challenge Moses to do something about their plight. It seems God has a message that it is well and good to praise him after a victory and when you are riding high but will we trust him and praise him in the mire of daily life when things are tough? Will we be pleased to listen and obey at those times? It could be he references the diseases of Egypt because he speaks of their hard heart (represented by Pharaoh). Could God be warning them against a hard heart that turns at the nearest thing that looks like trouble? God says that he is testing them perhaps their grumbling amounts to a failure of the first test. This habit of doubting and questioning the provision of God will plague them in the desert and result in a whole generation of people being kept from reaching Canaan.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
    I hear a message about praising God and trusting God not only when circumstances are amazing and wonderful but also when they look a little bleak and the resolution is not yet in sight. The implication is that God allows less favorable or even bad circumstances in order to train us in godliness. The significance in my life is that I should be cautious to not let praise turn to grumbling and when I sense a grumbling I may want to start praying and praising his name and trusting that there is a log near by.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it is easy to fall off of the perch and to come down the mountaintop experience and then be faced with a normal day where things don’s go right and where I don’t see the answer.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider my reactions to hardship and consider the swings in my attitudes toward God and my reliance upon him.

Questions to ask:

Do I trust God only after the victory or in the midst of the conflict?
Will I listen and act in faith with obedience or will I grumble?

Luke 18

Ready:
The previous chapter was about God taking our sin away and acknowledging his work and not expecting praise for obedience but instead offering praise for mercy. This is a good lead in for chapter 18…

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter is about how God saves by mercy and not by payment. Two parables, followed by four interactions make this point. Luke weaves together this chapter similar to Mark chapter 10 with the rich ruler contrasted to blind Bartimeaus and the children. Luke begins here with Jesus teaching a parable about a helpless widow who is all alone and seeks help and receives it by her seeking and asking with persistence. Then Jesus tells a parable showing the craziness of a self-righteous Jew who thinks he is right before God because of his own actions. Then the little children come to Jesus and he explains that this is the way anyone who comes to him does it. Then the man who would seek to show Jesus his own righteousness is disappointed to learn that he has none. Then Jesus makes it clear who in this scenario is doing the work and accomplishing righteousness as he describes his coming death and resurrection. Then Luke describes the interaction between Jesus and the blind beggar who is helpless like the widow and who is dependent like the children and who, unlike the Pharisee and the rich man, knows that he brings no righteousness to reveal but only brings a trust in the mercy of God. This man went home justified and not the others. A man who thinks he stands on his own merit is helpless and blind and he is the one who is alone.

Key Verses:
Luke 18:1, 7-8, 9, 11-12, 13-14, 17, 18, 23, 28-30, 31, 32-33, 38, 41, 42-43

Theme:
The one in need seeks mercy and is saved by the work of God to the glory of God.

Thinking about the message:
   v1. Here Luke is a very helpful narrator and he gives me the meaning of the parable before he even records the parable…thanks Luke!
   v2-8. Jesus presents a parable about a make believe widow who seeks help from a judge who is not God fearing and who does not even like people, yet she is successful in getting his help because of her persistence. This parable, with the help of Luke, is to teach me that I ought to come to God with persistence in my prayers for help and in dependence upon him. Jesus makes is known that God will surely deal with us with more love and compassion and more speed than such a judge. Thus is an encouragement to make my case before God and to be continuos in my cry, knowing that I am looking for help where I am myself helpless.
   v9-14. Here I am amazed at the pride and the gaul of the Pharisee who essentially boasts before God in his lack of sinning (remember the last chapter made it clear that this is not praiseworthy, but is expected). He offers up his religious practices as something God is supposed to be impressed by and he all the while is hateful and unloving and judgmental and harsh and proud and selfish. This man has a dirty house and a so-so porch and garden (see comments on Luke 11). There is no strong men there (Luke 11:21, 25-26). The Pharisee has a false religion and he is the rich ruler that actually sold everything (begrudgingly) only to wind up glorifying himself instead of God. Meanwhile the tax collector is spilled out upon the floor in contrition and he is broken before God pleading for mercy, probably with trembling (Isaiah 66:1-2). It is plain to see that this is the attitude of a born again grace saved believer, not the other.
   v15-17. Here Jesus illustrates that the one who would come into the kingdom will come as a dependent child or he will not come at all. Pretty clear.
   v18-30. Now here is the man who would set forth to merit his salvation, if only he had any actual righteousness. Jesus makes a point at the conclusion of this interaction that one who has devoted themselves to acquiring riches in this life will find it very difficult to give up this life in favor of Christ and it will take an act of God to work this in them. Peter pipes up and boasts that they have given up all they had but Jesus quickly corrects him by letting him know that there is nothing truly sacrificed in following Jesus, we do nothing but receive from God. What we think we sacrifice in our small view is no sacrifice at all. God is a giver now and forevermore.
   v31-34. Here is the sacrifice that is made, not mine. Here is righteousness, not mine. Here is accomplishment, not mine. Here is true surrender to the Father of lights, not mine. Here is the basis for all I would plead for. Here is the basis for all I would ask God to look upon. His is the basis for my ability to approach God. Here is the basis for my right to follow Jesus and enter the kingdom. Here is the basis for God’s mercy upon me and healing of my sin.
   v35-43. Here is the example that Jesus wants us to follow. It is the tax-collector and the blind beggar that are our models. I am to look to Jesus to be the one doing and accomplishing and earning. I am to fall on his mercy and acknowledge my need for repentance and for healing (Mark 2:17). Jesus came to rescue people like this (1 Tim 1:15)! This man does not seek to put his own righteousness on display but knows that he has none worth glorifying like that of Jesus.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
   Considering the rich ruler in contrast to the blind beggar I wonder this…The blind beggar followed Jesus and Luke records that he glorified God and the people who saw also glorified God. What if the rich ruler had met Jesus’ requirement that he sell all he had and gave it to the poor? Would he then have followed and glorified God? Or would he have been self-righteous and expected a personal thank you note from Jesus? Jesus is teaching that the question is not “what must I do?” but “will you please have mercy on me, a sinner?”. I take the meaning here to be that we are to come seeking mercy and not seeking an evaluation of our righteousness. The implication is that even the holiness that God does bring in my life is not something to look in the mirror at or to wave like a flag…only Jesus. The significance for my life is that I need always to put my eyes on him and to drop to my knees in thanks and to lift up his name…never trusting or measuring my own actions or righteousness. It is God’s grace by his mercy in Jesus from beginning to end.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because I have a mirror that I look at every day and it is easy to be either satisfied or dissatisfied by what I see. I value the correction that my supposed sacrifices are not ultimate but are a trade for something far greater.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to stop looking there and look to Jesus in humility and in joyful worship of my great God who is my righteousness. I can avoid the swings in emotions and in contentment when I stop measuring my own deeds and start reflecting upon his. When I am walking in victory and enjoying a hunger for God and seeing fruit…this is the time to worship and to put my face down and to praise him and to look at him and to ask for mercy (Lam 3:22-26; Psalm 51:17). Sin is ready to pounce upon me and it will use every opportunity to cripple me (Rom 7:21; Gen 4:7; Prov 11:2).

Questions to ask:

Do I think that giving up filth and wickedness and idolatry in favor of glory and honor and peace is a sacrifice? Or giving up tin cans for gold?
Do I think there is something in the mirror that merits a right standing with God?
Do I think God is waiting for me to accomplish something or waiting for me to lay down at his feet and receive his mercy?
When I think I am at my best with God, who is getting glory…me or him? Am I the Pharisee at that moment or the tax-collector?

Monday, March 3, 2014

March 3

Exodus 14; Luke 17

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 39: WHAT IS SANCTIFICATION?
Answer: Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace by which we are renewed in the whole person after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.
Scripture: 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 4:23, 24; Romans 6:11.

Exodus 14

Ready:
In the previous chapters Moses had led the people of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness and they were led by a pillar of smoke by day and a pillar of fire at night that was the Lord’s presence. They consecrated the firstborn boys and explained the pattern of redeeming the firstborn children and sacrificing the firstborn animals of Israel in remembrance of the passover in Egypt. The Lord led them toward the Red Sea and avoided the Philistines apparently to keep them from having to fight yet in favor of more display of him doing their fighting by use of the Sea. Interesting detail that he knew they would be disheartened by facing a battle and would return to Egypt.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter God directs Moses to have the people stall in an area and he seems to bring Pharaoh purposefully against them. Pharaoh comes against Israel with his chariots (pulled by horses that were not “in the field” during the 5th or 7th plague but were most likely protected in stables). God determined that he would receive glory by accomplishing another miraculous feat in defeating the Egyptian Pharaoh and it would be by Israel crossing the Red Sea on dry ground and then drowning Pharaoh’s army.

Key Verses:
Exodus 14:1, 4, 8-9, 11-12, 13-14, 18, 21-22, 28, 31

Theme:
Despite the failing faith of the Israelites, the Lord was determined to accomplish their delivery in a manner that would glorify his name and strengthen their faith in him and in Moses.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-9. Interesting here that God specifically chose to draw Pharaoh out against Israel instead of just leading them through the Red Sea without him in chase. God had a purpose of his name being declared in all the earth and this was how he intended to do it. He knew the people would turn back if he had led them into the area where the Philistines were. Contrasting his efforts to work around the failing will of the Israelites with his hardening of Pharaoh in order to bring him out in chase may indicate that his guiding of hearts at this point is being limited to releasing them to wickedness and not empowering them to godliness, other than the remnant perhaps (Rom 11:4-7).
    v10-14. Here is the crazy failure of Israel to keep their hope in God. They blame Moses for their impending death and tell him that they had already asked him to just leave them alone to serve the Egyptians. Crazy that after all that God has done to get them to this point and they seem to have hearts that are as hard as Pharaoh’s. Strikingly, Moses tells them to sit back and shut their mouths (Ex 14:14). It seems clear that God is going to do a work here for his name and for his purposes and not in any response to the faith of Israel. God is making a point (Rom 9:16-18). Read Joshua 2:8-11 and see the impact this event had upon other nations who would consider resisting or confronting Israel in the future.
    v15-29. Here Moses follows the Lord’s instructions and as God guards the rear of the camp by a cloud of darkness, Moses uses his staff the sees the Sea parted with walls of water on each side. Israel crosses and then God returns the waters and drowns all of Pharaoh’s army.
    v30-31. The final verse establishes the result of this deliverance upon the people of Israel. They went from fearing Egypt and wishing they were back serving them to fearing God and believing in his promises and trusting their leader Moses. This state of faith may not last too terribly long but there was indeed a great work accomplished in the hearts of the people this day that would fuel centuries of tradition and religious devotion.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
      I hear a message that God has large plans at work that involve more than I can know. The impaction is that the circumstances he allows or orchestrates may not always make sense but I can know that he works on a very large scale and my shortsightedness limits my understanding, especially in the middle of a situation. It was not until Israel reached the other side of the Sea they were then able to consider what the Lord had brought them through and they understood that he had delivered them by a mighty hand and they trusted him. The significance for my life is that I should not lose heart in the midst of trials or hardship but I should look ahead in hope trusting that the Lord’s arm is not too short to deliver me and I should trust that he is indeed working for my good in all that happens (Rom 8:28-29; Jer 32:40-41; Eph 1:19; Lam 3:37-38).

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because it is easy to lose heart and think I made a wrong turn somewhere because the results do not seem to be good. Sometimes “bad” things happen even though I might be “trusting God”. Probably my vision is too narrow and I need to hang in there and look to him to provide sustaining grace to get me through until I can see his purposes better.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider if my trust is only one circumstance away from failing and I need to prayerfully wrestle with God over giving me a better view of my life and of my circumstances and I need to ask him to give me a broader view of life that considers more than myself.

Questions to ask:

Is there something I am going through that causes me to think it would have been better to have done it my own way?
Does this event give me reason to hang in there and trust the Lord, regardless of the outcomes I see?
Has God promised me a particular outcome in this life as he had certainly done for the nation of Israel (Exodus 3:16-17)? There is one promised outcome for me. Read Rom 8:29, 1 Peter 1:9, 1 Thess 5:23-24. Temporal prosperity here on earth is not guaranteed and should not be a goal anyways if my eyes are set upon Christ (Col 3:1-4; Matt 6:20).

Luke 17

Ready:
The previous chapter taught about justification by faith alone in place of self-justification by works.

Seeing what’s there:
In this chapter I see Jesus teaching first on not being a source of temptation to others. Then teaching that mercy is not owed to us by God and thus should be treasured when it is received. Yet mercy from one person to another is expected because we are all recipients of God’s mercy and it is not a mighty deed that demonstrates great faith when we forgive. We are expected to forgive as a servant is expected to serve. Then Jesus goes on to teach on a coming judgement that will take some and leave others like the waters came for the unrighteous in Noah’s days and the fire came to Sodom in Lot’s day.

Key Verses:
Luke 17:1, 3, 4, 6, 10, 15-17, 21, 29-30, 33

Theme:
Not being a source of temptations and forgiving others are examples of simple expectations and not great feats of faith. God calls his people to trust him and recognize that he is the one who places expectations upon us and not us upon him. He does not owe mercy and we should be very grateful for it…because the alternative is judgement.

Thinking about the message:
   v1-4. Here are two simple expectations that God puts upon his people and these do not represent something praiseworthy…but are merely the right thing. Do not be a source of temptation…pay attention to yourself. This one is hard for me of course…JK. But really, women need to listen to this and think about how they present themselves for sure. The next is forgiveness. Jesus is shocked by the questioning on forgiveness and he makes the clear point that it is expected (Eph 4:32). Note here that the first response to being sinned against is rebuke…followed by forgiveness if the brother repents, to be repeated endlessly it seems.
   v5-6. Here Jesus reacts to the apostles request for more faith in a telling manner. He reads their plea to be a feeling that to act in the way he is saying is a great act of faith and that they will need much empowerment to do such a thing. Jesus comes against that thought and tells them it does not take great faith, merely correct faith. He explains further in the discussion that he is talking about simple expectations and not great feats.
    v7-19. Jesus makes the point here that our obedience is not something praiseworthy but it is expected. In contrast, his mercy should not be expected and indeed is praiseworthy. We tend to get his upside down and we feel entitled to mercy when we fail and praise when we don’t. Jesus is working to untwist the sinful lies that we are convinced of.
   v20-37. Still looking out for our selfish gain and misplaced hopes we too look for a kingdom sometimes that is made of mortar and brick instead of a kingdom that has been in our midst since Jesus walked with us. The Kingdom of God is now and not merely later in heaven. I am to pray for the continual coming of his kingdom purposes and I am to live now for his kingdom purposes. There will be a day when the kingdom is consummated but it will be a day of judgement and dread for many. This second coming will be no secret event but will capture the attention of the world and those who have sought after preserving their life instead of risking it for the gospel will face judgement.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
   I hear a message that it is not a praiseworthy thing to refrain from sin. I hear that I need to take my eyes off of myself and place them on my righteousness…which is Christ alone. He is to be praised and not me. I can offer God only my gratitude and praise in response to his mercy that has freed me and made me whole. The implication is that I should not only think of others and avoid causing them to sin but I should think of the ways that God keeps me and delivers me and I should be giving him thanks and praise because it is only due to his grace that I am anything but a wicked God-hater (1 Cor 15:10; Rom 5:10; Rom 8:7). When he frees me from sin I should not expect some thank you card in the mail from him…I should get on my knees and praise his holy name. Do I think it was in my strength and by my initiative that this was accomplished? I am probably one of the lepers cruising down the road still heading to show the priest how wonderful I am. The significance for my life is that sin may be my big problem in life, but its absence is not the big answer. Remember the empty house? I need Jesus. I need God filling me with his Spirit and making me his own. I need to be ruled and animated by God that I may live a life that is hidden in him (Col 3:1-3). Jesus is my righteousness, not my repenting or my lack of this or that sin…that is expected. Not being wicked is merely that. Righteousness is something that can only be received by indwelling and by transformation. Righteousness is bigger than me and bigger than I can imagine. The righteousness of God is Jesus and he alone if mighty enough to carry that weight of glory. I need to seek righteousness as my top priority (Matt 6:33) but let me not get the idea that his is a lack of sin…nope. Way past that and it is only achieved by Jesus through his Spirit and I get is by falling on him and by seeking him and by relying on him and by crying out for mercy…not by looking in the mirror or asking him to recognize what I am doing. Ask Job how that went for him…and I bet he was “more righteous” than me or you by a little bit (Job 38:1-3ff).

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable to me because it helps me to see plainly why I need to not be looking in the mirror when I should be on my face in worship and thanks.

Reflecting on the message:
Let me consider each day what my view of myself is and whether I have pride where humility should be. Let me consider if I am mindful of my influence on others and where I can be leading others to sin by my own actions. Let me be mindful of what God is accomplishing in me and let me give him thanks.

Questions to ask:

Is a lack of certain sins the goal?
Does righteousness consist of the absence of sin?
Where is God at work in me that I am not praising him adequately for?
Am I looking for some jackpot ahead or am I making his name known and living in the kingdom now?

Sunday, March 2, 2014

March 2

Exodus 13; Luke 16

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 37: WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION?
Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, by which he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
Scripture: Romans 3:24; 5:19; Ephesians 1:7; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9; Galatians 2:16.

Exodus 13

Later...

Luke 16

Ready:
The previous chapter spoke on the celebration of recovering lost things and the recognition of what blessing we have in the family of God…we have God!

Seeing what’s there:
This chapter picks up from the parable of the prodigal son and illustrates that one can waste away resources without going anywhere. In a series of statements and another parable Jesus makes clear that being “found” involves a proper separation from the old contract of performance (which tends toward pride in the human heart) and an embracing of a new contract of dependance (which requires and sustains humility). Obedience of faith fulfills and now upholds obedience to a law that could previously only enslave.

Theme:
Death to self-justification by the law is required to enjoy Christ-justification by faith. To keep self-justification and add justification by faith is akin to adultery and will exclude us from union with Christ.

Thinking about the message:
   v1-9. This dishonest manager never left but he spoiled away the master’s resources right where he was. This manager was not interested in the purposes of the master but in his own purposes. So he was misusing what he was blessed with by the master. He then worked to justify himself before his friends by spending more of his masters money, which was wicked. However, surprisingly, the master praises the man for his shrewdness because he was planning ahead and was spending resources to bless others. The motive in this case was skewed, but the action was compassionate. This compassion, this mercy, is salty…it’s attractive. Christians should spend more resources like this and draw others into the kingdom by compassion like how the Philippian jailer was saved (Acts 16:26-30).
   v10-13. Here Jesus teaches that if I am in love with money and it rules me such that I use it for my own purposes instead of God’s purposes then I am like the dishonest manager and there is no reason for him to put me in charge of the gospel advancement. If I waste his money instead of blessing others and extending the gospel with it then I am serving money instead of God. The closing statement is that nobody can serve two masters at once and this leads into the next teaching.
   v14-17. Here Jesus speaks on the law vs the gospel. He suggests that the Pharisees were using the law to try to justify themselves by demonstrating godliness (Rom 9:31-32) when justification does not come through one’s own righteousness (Phil 3:9), but through one’s trusting of God to save the ungodly (Rom 10:9-13; Rom 4:2-5). The prideful thought of earning the mercy of God is abominable and a stench to God (Rom 11:6). He makes clear the John the Baptist was the end of the OT law based message and now the solution (grace) has arrived that will not nullify or erase the law but will fulfill it (Rom 8:4; Rom 4:30-31) by love (Gal 5:5-6; Rom 13:8-10)!
   v18. In a seemingly odd spot Luke decides to record what Jesus said about divorce but I take this as related to the preceding paragraph on the law vs. gospel. Rom 7:1-3, 4-6 spells out how we are bound to the law like a husband and we must die to be freed from this law of marriage in order to be joined to another. Jesus refers to the Pharisees as an adulterous and sinful generation that would deny him and his words (Mark 8:38). Jesus speaks in Ephesians 5:25-33 about the bond of marriage being a mystery that is actually about the bond between Jesus and the church. It becomes clear that it is adultery to maintain a trust in the law when Jesus is the bridegroom of the church. We must die to the law and put faith in Jesus alone or we are adulterers and we are not united to Christ.
   v19-31. Here the rich man received just what he desired in this life and the main point of this story seems to be that no signs will make a difference for this wicked generation, not even a resurrection. This is evident and for our day today this is Jesus’ word to us that the testimony of his Word is adequate and there are no special evidences due to anyone. God has worked wonders and it is all presented to us in his inspired Word. Let us listen and fear the Lord.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
   Jesus makes it clear that there is no room for justification by works. There is no room for boasting. There is no place for pride. The implication is that I need to drop any effort to win my salvation or my standing with God by any effort of my own. The significance for me is that I need to simply accept that Jesus did the work and rest in his wonderful provision. I do not need to stress out each day with how well I am doing or if I am living up to the Christian standard each second. I need to seek Jesus and trust his Spirit to be at work in me.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because if I trust in the law or in my works then I am not under grace and I am doomed.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to consider my motives and actions and make sure I am not acting out of an effort to merit my position with God. I need to trust him and joyfully surrender in love.

Questions to ask:

Are their ways that I am relying on my works instead of on Jesus’?
Am I trying to serve the law and Jesus?

Saturday, March 1, 2014

March 1

Exodus 12:21-51; Luke 15

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 36: WHAT BENEFITS DO THOSE WHO ARE EFFECTUALLY CALLED RECEIVE IN THIS LIFE?
Answer: Those who are effectually called receive in this life justifica- tion, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life accompany or flow from them.
Scripture: Romans 8:30-32; Galatians 3:26; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; Ephesians 1:5.

Comment: We must distinguish effectual calling from the general call of the gospel. Not all who hear the gospel believe. But all who are effectually called by God do believe. The call creates what it commands.

Exodus 12:21-51

Behind again...

Luke 15

Friday, February 28, 2014

February 28

Exodus 11:1-12:20; Luke 14

Daily Catechism

QUESTION 35: WHAT IS EFFECTUAL CALLING?
Answer: Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, to convince us of our sin and misery, to enlighten our minds in the knowledge of Christ, to renew our wills, and thus persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ, freely offered to us in the gospel.
Scripture: 2 Timothy 1:9; John 6:44, 45; 16:8-11; Acts 2:37; 26:18; Ezekiel 36:26; Romans 8:30; 1 Corinthians 1:24; 12:3.

Exodus 11:1-12:20

Ready:
In the previous chapter Pharaoh became completely resistant and so hardened that he ended up threatening Moses’ life and refusing to hear any further argument or to see his face at all.

Seeing what’s there:
In this unit of scripture I see Moses deliver the warning of the final plague to Pharaoh and there is no recorded response but Moses leaves his presence in anger over his hard hearted refusal. God then reveals to Moses and Aaron detailed instructions on how the Israelites are to avoid the death sentence of this plague upon the firstborn. In this passage God directs them to change their calendar and to begin an annual ceremony to commemorate what is about to happen. It is clear that this is going to be a huge foundational event in the history of the nation and God plans to show up big time. The instructions include the offering of a sacrifice and the spreading of its blood on the door post as a signal to the coming angel called “The Destroyer”. The sacrifice with the dinner together inside the house is called by God “The Passover”, representing how the angel will passover those homes protected by the blood and he will cause no harm to the occupants.

Key Verses:
Exodus 11:1, 4-5, 8; Exodus 12:5-6, 7-8, 11-12, 13-14

Theme:
A great judgement is coming and God promises to protect his people from his wrath by the blood of a sacrifice. They are to demonstrate trust in him by following his instructions carefully.

Thinking about the message:
    v1-10. Here Moses has been ordered to leave the sight of Pharaoh permanently or face the consequence of death. Moses is in that moment (or perhaps prior to) told by God that there will be but one final plague and Moses proceeds to pass on the warning to Pharaoh on his way out the door. Moses details to Pharaoh that the plague will kill all of the firstborn and that Pharaoh and his servants will bow down an plead for Israel to leave as a result of the tremendous act of judgement that they will endure. Moses is also careful to let Pharaoh know that there will not be a hint of violence toward Israel during this awesome night that will bring death to many in Egypt. Of course Pharaoh has sufficiently hardened his heart and he seems to have no response and I can only imagine that he was not even looking upon Moses and he heard this. Knowing the pain and devastation that will befall the Egyptians as a result of Pharoah’s arrogance, Moses leaves in hot anger.
    cp 12 v1-6. Here the Lord explains to Moses that there shall be a lamb sacrificed and exactly when it will be selected and killed and interestingly he takes the time now to explain that this ritual will become for the nation an annual ceremony to remember the event that is about to unfold. This is indeed a foretelling of Christ’s passion week as he himself is “selected” for death by the Jewish council on the 10th day of the first month (after he cleanses the temple on Monday- Mark 11:18) and then killed on the 14th day (Friday afternoon- Mark 15:42) just as the passover sacrifice here is stipulated. The previous allusions to a substitutionary atonement include the animal sacrificed to take away the shame of nakedness in the garden and the ram in place of Isaac.
    v7-20. Now come the instructions on how the sacrifice of this lamb will be applied to the people of Israel. The sacrifice itself was not the end of God’s work. Next there was to be an application of this sacrifice to the covenant people of God who would trust in this sacrifice to be their protection. They are here instructed to place the blood visibly on the doorposts and to eat the sacrifice dressed and ready to go. Clearly there is an expectation that God will be doing a work that will be completed this night and they will need to be ready to leave right away. The Lord also gives greater detail on the other elements that will be part of the annual passover ceremony.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
     The passover that is here described and will shortly occur is the most significant event to happen in the story of the Bible since God established a unilateral covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15. This sacrifice is made here before God ever teaches Israel a system of atoning sacrifice and before there is a tabernacle. The blood of the sacrifice that protects them here is merely a representation of the blood or Jesus, which is truly what spares them from the wrath of God. The message I hear is that the only thing that distinguishes between Egypt and Israel (Ex 11:7) is the blood of the passover lamb (Ex 12:13). The implication here is that Israel and Egypt are in the same predicament of having sin and of deserving the wrath of God but that it is the blood of the lamb applied to the Israelites that makes the difference. The significance for my life is that I need not try to imagine or look for or consider that there could be anything different about me than anyone else, except that God, in his mercy, has applied the blood of Jesus to me. I am not better than an unbeliever and I owe them the truth of the message that hope is in Jesus only, not in ourselves. I have no chance against The Destroyer…only the blood of Jesus will turn the wrath of God away.

Valuing the message:
I value the message because God has established here a remembrance ahead of time that this deliverance he brings is against a backdrop of judgement. He does not save Israel from some mean nation and their oppression only…God saves them from his judgement that is due upon all. I have been saved from God’s wrath…by God’s mercy, in the person of Christ Jesus (Rom 5:9). The message helps me to see that salvation is not primarily from the circumstances of life but from the guilt and debt and enmity that has separated me from God. This destroyer who comes with the judgement of God does not enter the house and evaluate the condition of the person. No- he stops and sees the blood on the door and it is finished. There is no condition except for the blood on the doorpost. Thank you Jesus!

Reflecting on the message:
I need to reflect upon my life and consider if I am trying to accomplish something to win God’s favor other than painting the doorpost with the blood. I also need to consider what this blood is accomplishing for me.

Questions to ask:

Do I envision the blood of Jesus primarily giving me deliverance from the wrath of God or as fixing my circumstances?
Am I putting the blood of Jesus on the doorpost or am I hanging a glossy record of my prayers and Bible reading and giving and my repentance there?
Do I think that the Destroyer would see something in me that would convince him to skip me?

Luke 14

Ready:
The previous chapter taught on three pictures of true faith. 1. Repentance/fruit bearing 2. Love for others 3. Striving after Jesus.

Seeing what’s there:
This entire unit is about avoiding self-exaltation and self service. This chapter is all about humility and maintaining a proper view of self. It is captured by Luke 14:11.

Key Verses:
Luke 14:5, 10-11, 13-14, 17-18, 21, 24, 27, 28-29, 33

Theme:
Each person must humble themselves and live dependent upon Jesus…this is the message and any other message fails.

Thinking about the message:
   v1-6. Here Jesus is resisted by the hard hearts of the Pharisees who refuse to answer his question as they deny the truth or at least refuse to be impacted by the truth. They are silent. Jesus is here reframing the same question he asked in Luke 6:9-11. It is clear that we should be willing to set down our human traditions of lofty religiosity and roll up our sleeves and help someone out on the Sabbath or else it is not a Sabbath that we are honoring, but ourselves. Clearly Jesus demonstrates that helping someone in need honors the Sabbath, whereas not helping dishonors it.
   v7-11. Here is a straight forward teaching that we are to not seek honor directly but we should humble ourselves and rely on Jesus and we can then enjoy his glory and we will be transformed into his likeness and we will be partakers of divine glory in due time. This humility is key to a right response to the law and it means that I will not assert myself as my own savior by my supposedly worthy obedience but I will rightly evaluate my sinful state and fall face first at the foot of the cross.
   v12-14. Similarly here the teaching is to not honor yourself by inviting to eat with you only people who can return value to you and build you up, but it is better to pour yourself out and be generous in situation where you know that you will not receive repayment on this side of heaven (Prov 19:17) and where you truly are giving of your self to those in need (Luke 6:34-36). I take this to speak of having a banquet specifically to establish what is now called “social capital”. This means I have a party and invite the people I want to impress and earn credit with because I know they can help me in the future and so I am setting myself up here by networking and creating relationships that will pay me dividends in the future. Jesus is teaching that there is only self service and self-exaltation in that and it is a misuse of resources as compared to true mercy that gives for the sake of others.
   v15-24. Now back to the real banquet where Jesus eating with this Pharisees house. Jesus responds to a statement about the blessing of those who will eat banquet in heaven by making it clear that people resist this banquet in heaven. Jesus teaches that none who are invited actually show up. The problem is their pride and their self-exaltation that makes them believe that what they have going on is more important than attending the wedding supper of the lamb. What the world is offering is more pleasing or important that Christ. This is the natural state of man and therefore, none will respond to this general call of the gospel. I take the compelling of those in the streets to be the effectual call of the Holy Spirit bringing in by grace those whom God has chosen before all time and the only reason they respond is because of his compelling grace that opens their eyes to the truth. Alternatively, this may be taken to refer to Gentiles being invited in when the Jews refuse and can also be taken as lower class Jews being invited when the proud Pharisees refuse. The main message is a need for humility and a realization that we must not over value our own situation and our own little world of self. When I give these options I do not intend to say that they are all correct, but that each could be valid…but only the author’s intended meaning is correct…just hard to say with certainty which that is.
   v25-33. Picking up on this theme of turning aside from all the distractions of life that would be excuses from coming to the banquet, Jesus here illustrates that even our own direct family must not stop us. We are to make following Jesus a priority even over our family if we are to be a disciple of Jesus. The amazing part of it is that this is how we can best serve them anyways…by modeling a devotion to Jesus and teaching them to walk the same path. From there he explains that there are costs that must be considered if we are to avoid being the thorny soil that chokes out the roots with the cares, riches, and pleasures of this world that contend for our devotion. The cost of discipleship is a life on earth where we are going to need to strive for Jesus and rely on him to keep us from the temptations and distractions. We need to be aware that taking Jesus means dropping everything else.
   v34-35. The fact is that we are a gospel message only when we are finding our satisfaction in Jesus. Jesus is the true salt when we are abiding in Christ we are made thirsty for God and we are drawn into the kingdom. Here we are pictured as the salt as we reveal Christ as attractive and praiseworthy and we draw others into the gospel. But if we allow distractions to take over we will lose our thirst and we will not be a picture of dependance upon and love for Jesus and our life will not be a gospel message to anyone. This last verse can be an argument for the teaching that a so-called “carnal Christian” might be brought home early by God if they are useless. Regardless of that argument I can see that my witness can be valuable or worthless and it hinges on by renouncing all for the cause of Christ vs my trying to keep all my little idols and distractions and just add Jesus to my life. Paul give us a better picture than that in Gal 2:20.

Meaning, Implications, and Significance
     The message here from Jesus is to put down self and the seeking of self-advancement and self-exaltation and self-fulfillment in favor of kingdom advancement, Christ exaltation, and serving others in love. The implication is that life should be ordered in a way that demonstrates this valuing of Christ and it will then be salty and inviting and a worthy message to a dying world. The significance to me is to remember that my choices and attitudes and priorities and where I place value is the message of my life…not just my words. The gospel will be attractive and opposite of what the world feeds people (humility and dependence upon Jesus) or it will be the same story as the world (pride and self-esteem) with a religious bow on it and so be completely unattractive and a worthless message. Who needs Christ to help them make much of themselves? Jesus is frankly a hindrance to this aim. I can live in a manner that makes much of Christ and reveals his supremacy or I can reveal my supremacy with a little Jesus added for flavor and thus destroy my witness.

Valuing the message:
This message is valuable because I hear the instructions to humble myself and the reward will be an exaltation that makes much of Christ and not one that makes much of me. I see value in knowing that the message of my life is polluted by my selfishness and self-service. I value it because it is practical and helps me know where to spend my money and energy and it is not in building me…but in spending me.

Reflecting on the message:
I need to examine how I use my resources (time, money, prayer, labor, etc.) and consider if I am building myself up or if I am spending myself for the glory of God and the love of others.

Questions to ask:

Am I arranging my life to exalt Christ or to build up my reputation?
Am I living attached to Jesus with chains and to the world with velcro or the other way around?
Am I waiting eagerly for the wedding banquet in heaven?
Is my life a message of reliance upon and exalting of Christ or is it about me?
Do I often spend my “resources” purely for the good of others and for the gospel of Christ or is it usually for my entertainment, advancement, comfort, or protection?
Which banquet am I hosting? Who is it in honor of?

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Current Study Info

Monday, March 10, 2014

Exodus 21; Luke 24

Daily Catechism

Exodus 21

Luke 24

Sunday, March 9, 2014

Exodus 20; Luke 23

Daily Catechism

Exodus 20

Luke 23

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Exodus 19; Luke 22

Daily Catechism

Exodus 19

Luke 22

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Exodus 17; Luke 20

Daily Catechism

Exodus 17

Luke 20

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Exodus 16; Luke 19

Daily Catechism

Exodus 16

Luke 19

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Exodus 15; Luke 18

Daily Catechism

Exodus 15

Luke 18

Monday, March 3, 2014

Exodus 14; Luke 17

Daily Catechism

Exodus 14

Luke 17

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Exodus 13; Luke 16

Daily Catechism

Exodus 13

Luke 16

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Exodus 12:21-51; Luke 15

Daily Catechism

Exodus 12:21-51

Luke 15

Friday, February 28, 2014

Exodus 11:1-12:20; Luke 14

Daily Catechism

Exodus 11:1-12:20

Luke 14